N. C. DOCUMENTS
APR 18 1988 I 9
7:N55
2/ 11 NEWSLETTER N. C. STATE LIBRARY
RALEIGH
NORTH CAROLINA STATE GOVERNMENT
PC USER GROUP
Pub&bcd by State Information PI'OC'CSSing Services 3700 Wake Forest Roed, Raleigh, NC 21fDJ (919) 133-SSSS
VOLUME 2, NO. 11 November, 1987
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting of the PC User Group wUI be
held at 10:00 A.M., Wednesday, November 4, 1987
at the SIPS Building, 3700 Wake Forest Road. The
program will be an overview and demonstration of
the software package ENABLE, a prcxluct of The
Software Group. The presentation w~l be made by
Mr. Bob Dortch of The Software Group. ENABLE Is
a package which contains a data base, word proces­sor,
and spreadsheet.
USER GROUP
MEETINGS
The North Carolina State Government Users
Group meets monthly on the first Wednesday at
10:00 A.M. at the SIPS Building unless there Is a
special presentation or demonstration.
WHAT KIND OF DTP DO YOU NEED?
While "desktop publishing (OTP} " is a hot buz­zword
ri ght now, there are four different kinds of com­puter-
assisted publishing available. What kind do
you need? Read the descriptions below, they may
provide you with an answer.
High-End Word Processing : If you want to
create memos, letters, proposals, reports for internal
corporate use, and newsletters which do not require
much integration of graphics and text, you may not
actually need full-fledged publishing software at all.
In fact you may already have all the "publishing"
capabilities you need, if you have a personal com­puter
and a sophisticated word processing package
such as Microsoft Word (from Redmond ,
Washington-based Microsoft Corporation} or Multi­mate
Advantage (from Torrance, California-based
Ashton-Tate}.
Desktop Publishing (DTP} : If you need to In­tegrate
graphics with text as well as have sophisti­cated
editing facUlties, you'll probably want to acquire
a DTP package. Such software is designed to be
used by an end user on a personal computer, and is
usually easy to use, featuring pull-down menus and
on-screen help. Most DTP packages are used to
create documents for internal use, and are used as
standalone applications by single users.
Corporate Electronic Publishing : If you need
everything described under DTP but have to have
multiple users work on the same document, you're
now In the arena of corporate electronic publishing.
Corporate el ectronic publishing prcxlucts allow mul ­tiuser
capabilities, either by working on a local area
network or because they' re minicomputer- or
mainframe-based. Often these packages are used
by members of a company's advertising, corporate
communications , or marketing department.
Dedicated Workstation Electronic Publishing:
If you need very high quality output, for use in com­municating
with those outside your organization,
you're in the realm of dedicated electronic publishing
workstations. These setups, available from tradition­al
typesetting services vendors, are generally used
by specially-trained staff members rather than end
users.
BUSINESS SOFTWARE REVIEW
Best Low-Tech Solutions To
High-Tech Problems
• Affixing sheets of cardboard to a monitor as a
hocxl
• Raising a monitor to eye level by stacking books
beneath it
• Taping nickels to a Hewlett-Packard plotter to
avoid ink smearing and uneven plotting
• Using business cards to keep add-In boards in
place
• Using a paper clip to eject a diskette from a
drive
2
STRANGEST PRODUCT
NAMES
(WHATS IN A NAME)?
• ASK GOD (Expansion Programs
International) - A program that
enables users to search the Bible
for citations based on a user's
queries.
• PRECURSOR (The Aldridge Com­pany)
- A hard disk menulng
program.
• GRAPH-IN-THE-BOX (New
England Software) - A RAM -resi­dent
graphing program.
• BAKER'S DOZEN (Buttonware) -
A collection of 13 utility programs,
Including a mini-spreadsheet, file
recovery utility, calendar program,
etc.
• CELl/MATE (Clarity Software) -
Checks for errors and displays for­mulae
in Lotus 1-2-3 and Sym­phony.
• BROOKLYN BRIDGE (White
Crane Systems) - Provides users
with the ability to transfer software
on 5.25-lnch disks to 3.5-inch
disks.
• INTRACOURSE (Intra Corp.) - A
disk-based sexual therapy
program.
• SQUISH (Sundog Software Corp.)
- A RAM-resident utility program
that compresses files and in­creases
file space on floppy and
hard disks.
• BALLYHOO (lnfocom) -A text ad­venture
game.
• EUREKA: The Solver (Borland In­ternational)
- A scientific-equation
solving program.
• THE EGG (Peregrine Falcon) - A
scientific word processor that in­cludes
500 chemical structures.
• GLUE (Solutions, Inc.) - Enables
the transfer of graphics between
most Macintosh applications; also
provides print-to-disk capabilities.
• CATSUP (Applied Decision Tech­nology)
- A utility program that
tracks Lotus 1-2-3 and Symphony
worksheets.
• Snap/Spark (Quadram Corp .)
Laptop computers.
• Twist & Shout (Spectre Tech­nologies)
- A utility program for
printing spreadsheets in a variety
of formats.
November 1987
MAKING YOUR WAY THROUGH THE
UPGRADE JUNGLE
The administrative hassles of upgrading software In a large
company often falls on the shoulders of the microcomputer
manager and Information Center staff.
Although users may be eager to obtain the new version of
software they have been using, IC managers want to know that the
upgrade meets standards for functionality, usability, and com­patibility.
Of course, the cost of implementing an upgrade program
must be considered . Once a budget Is approved , further delays
may arise from the mechanics of gathering the old disks and
documentation, contacting the manufacturer, waiting for delivery,
and redistributing the software to end users. Here is a list of other
considerations customers often have .
Considerations for upgrading
• Does the new version provide a bug fix?
• Will the enhancements be useful to the user?
• Should I evaluate the upgrade? Is is compatible with other
products In use?
• Must software be reinstalled? Will staff need training?
• Is the file format the same? Must old files be converted?
• Will registered users get notice of upgrade?
• Need I collect and destroy disks or documentation?
• What Is the cost of the upgrade?
• Can I upgrade from 5 1/4" to 3 1/2" disk format?
• Are there upgrades from more than one earlier version?
All this effort eats up many hours of IC staff time. When all is
said and done, It may take weeks or months to complete an upgrade
through the manufacturer.
CORPORATE SOFTWARE UPDATE
.. BLESSED ARE THE PESSIMISTS:
FOR THEY HATH MADE BACKUPS ..
- --------- ' - .
November 1987
SIPS TRAINING SERVICES
PRESENTS
INTRODUCTION TO MICROSOFT WORD
Hands-on course to learn how to use Microsoft
Word to prepare letters, memos, reports, and tables.
No previous experience with word processing Is
necessary. Participants will learn to enter text, make
corrections, rearrange text, format documents, save
and retrieve files, and print documents.
INTERMEDIATE MICROSOFT WORD
In this course you will learn to use some of
Microsoft Word's more advanced features such as
style sheets, columns, mail merge and sorting. In ad­dition
you will learn the Human Database Method,
which is available only in this course, and will receive
special files to use with this method. The human
Database Method gives MS WORD users the ease of
data entry and revision that is usually found only in
separate data base or file management programs.
Date: Nov. 30, Dec. 1 ,3,4 1987
Time: 8:15pm- 12:15 pm (Inter)
1:15pm- 5:15pm(lntro)
Cost: $150 per student
Registration deadline: November 16, 1987
For registration or more information, please con­tact:
SIPS Training Services- 733-5555
Carol L Coonley - Training Director
NEW AND ENHANCED FEATURES
OF DOS3.3
Throughout its six years of life, DOS has operated
on a variety of systems beginning with the 256KB
double-diskette-drive PC and now stepping up to the
new 80386-based systems.
DOS 3.3 was introduced to provide support for the
IBM PS/2 family, but it actually runs on the entire line
of personal computers as well, including XT type, AT
type, and portable computers. Although it is not the
long-awaited multitasking operation system that can
take advantage of the larger address space of the
3
80286 and 80386 processors, DOS 3.3 nevertheless
has some new features that, if used carefully, are
worthwhile. New and enhanced features Introduced
In DOS 3.3 are summarized in the following table.
CONFIGURATION COMMANDS
• BUFFERS - (Enhanced) - Default number tied
to machine configuration
• STACKS- (Enhanced) - Default number tied to
machine configuration
DOS COMMANDS
• APPEND - (New) - Directory search path for files
• ATTRIB - (Enhanced) - Subdirectories
processed
• BASIC- (Enhanced) -Compatible with BASICA
• BACKUP - (Enhanced) - Performance im­proved
• CALL - (New) - Batch file subcommand calls
another batch file
• COMMAND.COM - (Enhanced) - Fail option
added to critical error processing message
• DATE - (Enhanced) - Set CMOS clock
• FASTOPEN- (New)- Caches file location infor­mation
• FDISK - (New) - Support added for multiple
DOS partitions
• FORMAT - (Enhanced) - Added support for
1.44MB drive
• GRAPHICS - (Enhanced) - Convertible LCD
and thermal-printer support
• MODE- (Enhanced) -Support added for COM3
and COM4; speeds up to 19.2 Kbps
• RESTORE - (Enhanced) - Performance and
utility improved
• TIME - (Enhanced) - Sets CMOS clock
Some new features , such as support for multiple
DOS volumes, improved BACKUP and RESTORE,
and FASTOPEN, are welcome additions; others, such
as APPEND and the DOS function caii67H (set hand­le
count), must be used with extreme care.
PC TECH JOURNAL
4 November 1987
JOURNEY THROUGH DOS, PART 1
First thing In the morning, you walk Into your of­fice
and turn on your PC . Red lights blink, disk drives
whirr, and every so often, a little beep pierces your
concentration. After a minute or so , your PC, display­Ing
an A or C prompt on the screen, Is ready to use.
Whether or not you realize It , every time you use
your PC, you are loading and using the operating sys­tem.
In simple terms , an operating system Is a layer
of software that sits between you and your computer
hardware. In the case of most microcomputers, you
are using some version of Microsoft's Disk Operating
System . Without DOS or some other operating sys­tem,
your PC is a very large, very expensive paper­weight.
This article, the first in a series, provides a
glimpse behind the blink, whirr, and beep that greet
you each morning. You 'll explore how DOS operates
and learn to put some basic but essential DOS com­mands
to work for you. While this installment is
geared to DOS novices, even veteran DOS users may
pick up a tip or two along the way.
BOOT CAMP
Remember the first time you were told to boot up
your computer? You mustered a puzzled look and
braced yourself for a cascade of computer jargon.
After learning that the phrase means to turn on or start
your computer, you now use it freely.
The phrase to boot up actually derives from the
old expression "to pull yourself up by your boot
straps," which is essentially what your PC does when
you turn it on. There are two ways to boot up the PC.
The first , a cold boot, occurs when you flip the switch
that turns on the power to the PC. (It doesn't matter
whether the power has been off for a few minutes or
a few months.) The second , a warm boot, occurs
when the computer is already on and you restart it by
holding down the Control and Alt keys and pressing
Delete. A warm boot is often used when your
keyboard locks up or your computer, for whatever
reason , stops responding to your commands.
When you first turn on your computer, the
hardware runs through a brief self-check called a
power-on self-test, or POST. Once the POST is com­plete,
the next series of steps loads DOS . The
process for loading DOS is the same whether you do
a cold boot and the hardware goes through a POST
or whether you do a warm boot.
Your computer contains a certain amount of
read-only memory (ROM), which is stored In a chip
on the main system board. At this point in the boot­up
process, the PC executes a small program called
the bootstrap loader, which is stored In ROM. The
bootstrap loader first checks drive A for a disk con­taining
DOS. If drive A is empty, the program checks
either drive B In a dual-floppy-disk system or the hard
disk If one Is present. Once the program locates
DOS, whether on a floppy disk or on a hard disk, the
remainder of the boot-up process Is the same.
Next the bootstrap loader loads the bootstrap
program, which DOS uses to load itself and which Is
always located at the very first position on a disk. The
bootstrap program checks the disk for the presence
of two flies named, for example IBMBIO.COM and
IBMDOS.COM . (Note that the letters preceding BIO
and DOS differ according to the type of DOS.) For
the PC to boot up, both the BIO.COM and DOS.COM
must be present. Because these are hidden files,
which don't appear In a directory listing, you may be
unaware of their presence on your disk.
Once the bootstrap program has loaded both the
BIO .COM and DOS.COM flies, control passes to the
BIO.COM file. This file initializes any hardware at­tached
to the PC, including printer Interfaces , display
screens, and the keyboard. As a result of this step,
the lights on your disk drives blink, and disk drives
spin, and If your printer Is on, the printhead of your
dotmatrix printer moves to the home position. The
next step checks for the presence of an optional file
called CONFIG.SYS. This file contains instructions
that configure your PC system. For example, a CON­FIG
. SYS file might set up a RAM disk or instruct the
PC that you want to access remote disk drives on a
local area network.
After BIO . COM finishes configuring the
hardware, control passes to the DOS. COM program.
This program loads routines that control information
being passed to and from the disk drives and
peripherals such as printers and modems. After
DOS.COM completes its function, It loads the file
COMMAND.COM from the disk into memory. This
file is the command interpreter program that serves
as the interface between you and the rest of DOS and
the PC hardware. Once loaded, the command inter­preter
checks the disk for the presence of an
AUTOEXEC.BAT file, which is a special batch file that
instructs DOS to execute a series of commands once
the PC has finished booting. A typical
AUTOEXEC.BAT file might prompt you for the cur­rent
date and time, change to the 1-2-3 subdirectory
on the hard disk, and automatically load 1-2-3. If no
AUTOEXEC.BAT file is on the disk, the COM­MAND.
COM file places the familiar DOS prompt (A
or C) on the screen and waits for you to enter an in­struction.
COMMAND.COM not only provides you with the
familiar DOS prompt but also allows you to access
your files and peripherals and to execute a set of use­ful
commands.
In next month's installment we will check some
of the tools built into COMMAND.COM. These tools,
known as the internal DOS commands, give you in­formation
about and control over your files .
November 1987
A DTP GLOSSARY
With the increasing in­terest
in Desktop Publish­ing
you may find the follow­ing
glossary helpful to be
more conversant in the sub­ject.
align - to line up charac­ters
or columns
baseline - the line on
which capital letters sit in a
horizontal line of text. The
baseline is used as a
reference point for aligning
text vertically on the page
batch page makeup -
using codes in the creation
of electronic pages so that
pages have the desired ap­pearance
when printed out.
Compare "interactive page
makeup" and "WYSIWYG"
bleed - to run an image
to the edge of a page
bold face - type that is
thicker than normal; used
for emphasis
Camera-ready copy or
artwork - text or graphics
ready to be photographed
for printing or reproduction
caption - a line of text
explaining a photograph or
illustration. Also known as
"cutline"
clip art - pre-drawn im­ages
stored as files that can
be imported into a page
composition package.
Also know as "graphics
library"
composition - arrang­ing
copy and graphics on a
page and specifying its ap­pearance,
including type
sizes and fonts
crop - to trim the edges
of a photograph or other
graphic element so that it
fits the desired space on a
page and has the greatest
impact
cutllne - see "caption"
dedicated workstation
- in electronic publishing
terminology, a specialized
in-house typesetting unit,
manufactured by com­panies
like Com­pugraphics.
Dedicated
workstations are more
sophisticated than PC­based
DTP systems
desktop publishing
(DTP) - using personal
computers, page composi­tion
software, and printers
to produce high-quality out­put.
DTP systems are
usually used by one per­son.
Compare "electronic
publishing" and "dedicated
workstation"
dots per inch (DPI) - a
measure of printer output
resolution. Laser printers
generally produce images
at 300 DPI, while typeset­ters
can produce at 1,200
DPI or higher. See "resolu­tion"
electronic publishing
(EP) - using micros, minis,
or mainframes, page com­position
software, and
printers to produce sophis­ticated
output. EP systems
are generally more sophis­ticated
than DTP systems
5
and are designed to be
used by several users
flow - to pour text into
an assigned space in an
electronic page. When
parameters are changed,
most DTP programs adjust
the text so it re-flows from
one column to the next on
the page and onto suc­ceeding
pages
font - type of a single
size and typeface
graphics library - see
"clip art"
greeking - representing
text by straight lines in an
overall view of a page.
Greeking is used to show
text position only, when the
user is trying to get an over­view
of page design
H & J - hyphenation and
justification
hard copy - text and
graphics printed out on
paper
headline- the phrase or
sentence which appears at
the top of an article or story
in a newsletter, magazine,
newspaper, or other printed
material. The headline is
usually emphasized by bold
face or italics, and is usual­ly
several points larger than
the typeface of the text.
Compare "subhead"
hyphenation zone - a
user -defined area at the
right margin of a column of
text, wherein a word
processing or page com­position
program places
hyphens. Some programs
6
place hyphens automatical­ly
according to syllabifica­tion
rules in the program's
built-in dictionary; others
highlight the zone and let
the user place hyphens
manually
Image scanner - a
device that scans text or
graphic images and con­verts
them into data that
can be read by a computer.
Compare "optical character
reader"
Input device a
mechanical device such as
a keyboard, optical charac­ter
reader (OCR), or scan­ner,
which lets the user
bring text into a personal
computer or terminal. See
"OCR" and "scanner"
interactive page
makeup - using com­mands
and menus to make
the screen look like the
page will look when printed
out. Compare "batch page
makeup" and "WYSIWYG"
italic - printing a font
slightly slanted to the right.
Used for emphasis
justification - aligning
text to produce even mar­gins
in a column. Text can
be justified left, right, or
both left and right. Com­pare
''ragged,.
kerning - adjusting the
amount of space between
certain pairs of characters
to improve the visual
balance. Some letters are
moved closer together
while others are moved fur­ther
apart. Some programs
kern according to
predefined routines stored
in the program's memory;
some allow the user to
make adjustments manual­ly
on the screen; and some
programs do not allow
kerning at all
landscape - printing a
standard page sideways on
8 1/2" x 11 11 paper. Com­pare
"portrait"
laser printer - a very
high quality output printer
which uses a laser beam to
create a high-resolution
image
layout - the arrange­ment
of text and graphics
on a page
leading - the amount of
space between one
baseline and another, or
between and around
columns of text. Leading is
measured in points
mouse - a handheld
input device which lets the
user move a cursor on the
computer screen by rolling
the mouse along the sur­face
of a desk. Mice are
very handy for creating and
positioning graphics .
optical character
reader (OCR) - a machine
that reads printed text, con­verts
the text to ASCII
characters, and feeds this
information into your com­puter
system. Compare
"image scanner,.
output device - a
device such as a printer or
plotter that takes data from
the computer and prints it
November 1987
out in a form that can be
used by the user
page description lan­guage
(POL) - a device-in­dependent
software inter­face
between the computer
and printer which allows the
creation of very high resolu­tion
output. A POL is
generally considered
necessary only for very
high quality output and not
for documents for internal
corporate use
pica - a measurement of
type size. One pica equals
12 points or 1 /6 th of an
inch. See ,.point,.
pixel - a single dot on
the computer's monitor,
which shows up as a point
of light. Screen resolution
is measured in pixels: the
greater the number of
pixels, the higher the
resolution.
Stands for "picture ele­ment."
See "resolution"
plotter - a device for
creating printed graphic
output such as charts and
maps. A plotter uses data
from a computer graphics
program to instruct colored
pens to move in various
patterns across paper (or
across sheets of acetate to
create transparencies for
presentations)
point - a measurement
of type size. 12 points
equals one pica; 72 points
equals one inch
portrait - printing verti­cally
on an 8 1 /2,. by 11,.
November 1987
page. Compare
.. landscape ..
ragged - text that is not
justified. Many publications
use a .. ragged right .. style;
that is, text that is justified at
the left margin but not at the
right
resize - to take text or
graphics and dynamically
alter its size or shape. Page
composition programs
often allow you to select a
headline, for example, and
change it on command
from 18-point type to 24-
point type
resolution - the quality
of image produced by a
printer or monitor. Printer
resolution is measured in
dots per inch; monitor
resolution is measured in
pixels. See .. dots per inch ..
and .. pixel ..
roman - standard type
style, unemphasized by
italics or bold face
rule - a format line
shown on a page in a word
processing or page com­position
program which al­lows
the user to set margins
and tabs. The line does not
actually take up space on
the page and does not print
out. Also a graphic design
term referring to vertical or
horizontal lines printed be­tween
or around columns,
articles, or graphic ele­ments
runaround - text which
is adjusted to follow the
contours of a non-rectan­gular
graphic. See "skew ..
sans serif - plain
characters, without decora­tive
embellishments. See
"serif'
scroll bar - an on­screen
mechanism usually
consisting of an arrow in a
vertical or horizontal bar;
the user moves the arrow
within the bar to move up,
down, or across the docu­ment,
thus bringing other
parts of the document into
view
serifs - embellishments
on letters such as small
curls and lines. Serifs were
originally developed to
make printed text easier to
read. Fonts are either serif
or sans serif. See "sans
serif'
shadow - either bold
face text or text that has a
"shadow" image printed be­side
each letter
sidebar - a small article
which accompanies a
larger article
skew - to place text so
that it wraps around a
graphic element which is
not rectangular. See
"runaround"
soft font - a font con­tained
in software
spread - two pages
facing each other
style - refers to the dif­ferent
appearances avail­able
within a single font.
Helvetica, for example,
could be represented as
romans, italic, or bold face.
7
style sheet - a set of in­structions
describing such
details as page size, head­line
font and size, columns
per page, habitually-used
headings, and the like,
stored electronically in a
DTP program.
subhead - a miniature
headline that subdivides an
article into topical sections
beneath the headline. Sub­heads
appear in smaller
type, and often a different
font, than the headline, See
"headline ..
thumbnail - an overall
visual representation of the
finished page, often in min­iature,
usually without text
or graphic detail. Since
many DTP systems cannot
show a full-sized complete
page on the screen, the
thumbnail view is provided
so a graphic designer can
see the overall balance of a
page.
vertical justification -
adjusting a document's
leading so that columns
end on the same line on
every page.
WYSIWYG- .. What You
See Is What You Get." The
ability of the program to dis­play
on screen exactly what
will be printed out. Type
sizes, fonts, styles,
graphics - all of these ele­ments
look the same way
on the monitor and on the
hard copy. See .. batch page
makeup" and "interactive
page makeup ...
BUSINESS SOFTWARE
REVIEW
• '